all night, unless you can whistle up a wind," said
Frank grimly.

"We'll both try," proposed Andy, and they whistled all the tunes they
knew, but without avail.

Then, having lighted their lamps, and cooked a supper on the oil stove
in the small galley, they prepared to spend the night at sea. They had
often done it before, for their craft was a staunch one, and as they
had said at home that they might be detained, they knew their folks
would not worry.

They stood watch and watch, of several hours at a stretch, and Frank
was on duty when the gray and misty night began to be dispelled by the
rosy sun rising from the water. As he glanced across the slowly
heaving billows, something in the very path of Old Sol's smiling beams
caught his eye.

It was a sailboat, somewhat larger than the _Gull_, but it was not the
sight of the craft itself that attracted Frank's attention. It was
something trailing behind.

"Andy! Andy, come up here!" called elder Racer lad.

"What's the matter?" demanded his brother, coming from his berth in the
tiny cabin, and rubbing his sleepy eyes. "See another whale?"

"No, but look at that sailboat? Isn't it dragging something?"

"It sure is!"

"What do you make it out to be?"

"It looks like--why it's a motor boat, and it looks as if it had seen
hard usage."

"That's what I thought, and I'll miss my guess if that isn't the very
boat that blew up when Paul Gale was in it."

"I believe you're right. Wait a minute." Andy disappeared, to return
a moment later with a pair of powerful glasses. He focused the
binoculars on the object trailing behind the sailing craft. Then he
uttered a cry:

"It's the damaged motor boat! We're on the track of it again! Let's
chase after it and see who has it!"

CHAPTER XV

ORDERED BACK

The wind had freshened and was now blowing at a lively rate. Andy and
Frank sprang to the sails, even hoisting a small jib which they seldom
used. But now they wanted all the speed they could get, for the craft
which was towing the damaged motor boat was some distance away, and was
rapidly drawing ahead.

"Can we catch her, do you think?" asked Andy, as he gave the tiller
over to his brother.

"We've got to," was the answer with quiet determination. "Suppose you
get something to eat while I handle the boat? We may not have time to
cook anything after we come up to them."

"Are you going to come to close quarters?"

"I'm going to try to get